No new coronavirus cases, 1 recovery reported in London-Middlesex

For the second day in a row, London-Middlesex is reporting no new coronavirus cases, local health officials reported Wednesday.

This keeps the total number of confirmed cases at 640.

One person was reported to have recovered, bringing that total to 570. Fifty-seven people have also died, a tally that has not changed since June 12.

This leaves 13 active cases in the London and Middlesex region, according to the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU).

Health officials reported no new cases and four recoveries on Tuesday, one new case and one recovery on Monday, and six cases and four recoveries over the weekend.

According to the MLHU, 591 confirmed cases have been reported in London so far, while Strathroy-Caradoc has seen 23 and Middlesex Centre has had 12.

Six cases each have been reported in North Middlesex and Thames Centre, while one case each has been reported in Lucan Biddulph and southwest Middlesex.

The region’s seven-day average for new cases stands at 1.28 per day as of Wednesday. Looking back 14 days to July 1, the average is one exactly.

According to the most recent figures available, the health unit said the region’s test per cent positivity rate stood at 0.1 per cent as of the week of July 5, down from an 8.2 per cent peak in late March when tests weren’t as available to the general public.

Visits to the city’s two COVID-19 assessment centres continue to be steady, with more than 3,500 visits since July 8.

Overall, the two centres — Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre and Oakridge Arena — have seen nearly 37,300 people and have swabbed more than 32,000 as of Tuesday.

People in their 20s continue to make up the largest age group of cases in the region with 135, or 21 per cent, of all cases.

Nearly half of all cases involving people in their 20s are the result of contact with a confirmed case, the health unit says.

Sixteen per cent of cases involve people over 80, with 84 per cent of those cases linked to outbreaks.

Seniors’ facilities have accounted for fewer cases in recent weeks, according to health unit figures — only two of the 14 cases reported so far this month involve such a facility.

Overall, long-term care and retirement homes have accounted for 180 cases and 37 deaths as well as at least 21 of the 26 outbreaks that have been reported.

All outbreaks have since been resolved. The last to be declared over was at Westmount Gardens on July 2.

Few, if any, people are still hospitalized for COVID-19, according to local hospitals.

London Health Sciences Centre says the number of hospitalized patients in its care is fewer than five — it won’t provide an exact tally unless the number is above five — while St. Joseph’s Health Care London says no COVID-19 patients are being treated at its facilities.

Of the region’s cases, 112 have needed hospitalization, with 31 needing to be admitted to intensive care. Most — nearly 90 per cent — of hospitalized cases involve people over 50.

Some 40 per cent of hospitalized cases have been linked to outbreaks, while 33 per cent have no known link.

Ontario

Provincially, Ontario reported 102 new cases of COVID-19 and nine deaths on Wednesday.

The total number of cases now stands at 37,052, which includes 2,732 deaths and 32,920 cases marked as resolved.

The number of resolved cases grew by 135 on Wednesday, outpacing the number of new cases.

The number of people in hospital dropped by more than 20 in Wednesday’s report.

The province reported a slight increase in the number of people in intensive care and on a ventilator.

The Ministry of Health says more than 23,000 people have been tested for the novel coronavirus in the previous day.

Elgin and Oxford

No new cases, deaths or recoveries were reported Wednesday by officials with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH).

The region’s confirmed case count remains at 87, with 79 people having recovered and five having died — a tally that has not changed since July 3.

Health officials reported no new cases, deaths or recoveries on Tuesday or Monday, and reported one case on Saturday in Woodstock.

According to the health unit, three cases remain active in the region. Two are located in Woodstock, while one is located in Dutton/Dunwich.

No outbreaks are active in the region. Three have been declared, with all resolved. Ten cases were reported.

SWPH says 13,063 tests have been administered as of Wednesday, with 200 pending results.

The region’s test positivity rate remains at 0.7 per cent.

Huron and Perth

No new cases, deaths or recoveries have been reported by officials with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH).

The region’s total case count remains unchanged at 59, with 53 people having recovered and five having died. No deaths have been reported since late April.

Health officials reported no new cases, deaths or recoveries on Tuesday and one recovery on Monday.

One case remains active in Perth County.

According to the health unit, 26 cases, including four deaths, have been reported in Stratford during the pandemic. The deaths were linked to an outbreak at Greenwood Court.

Elsewhere, 14 cases each have been reported in Huron and Perth counties, while in St. Marys, four cases, including one death, have been reported.

At least 10,518 people had been tested in the region as of Tuesday.

Sarnia and Lambton

One person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and one person has recovered, officials with Lambton Public Health (LPH) reported on Wednesday.

It brings the region’s total case count to 287, including 260 people who have recovered and 25 who have died.

It’s the first time the county has reported a new case in 12 days. The last death to be reported was in early June.

No cases, deaths or recoveries were reported Tuesday or Monday.

Two cases remain active in the region.

Hospitalizations remain unchanged in the county, with Bluewater Health in Sarnia reporting no COVID-19 patients in its care. The last to be discharged was June 14.

The hospital reported Wednesday that it had 11 people in the hospital with tests pending.

Fifty-seven people have been hospitalized in Lambton for COVID-19, a majority in March and April.

At Bluewater Health itself, at least 19 staff have tested positive since March, including three in the hospital’s since-closed COVID-19 unit.

According to the health unit, 14,468 test results have been received, with two per cent of tests coming back positive.

— With files from the Canadian Press